Songs For Surviving A Pandemic (Vol. 2, #3)
Frank Chmielewski
Director of Assessments at The Institutes | Risk and Insurance Knowledge Group
[Other installments are accessible from the bottom of this page.]
Statement of Purpose- There are millions of great songs, and tens of millions of compelling facts to go with them, all on the web. I’m simply presenting songs I find pleasurable for a variety of reasons, or things about them I find interesting. I don’t often write about recent songwriting geniuses and performers like Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga because they are already well-covered. And sometimes I just go with how I feel, in a non-algorithmic manner. Can I be a zeitgeist barometer in a way that software can’t? In my mind I can, and it’s the only mind I have, so I go with it. I hope you enjoy the series.
A.??Teenage Kicks
“Just Another Teenage Rebel”; The Outcasts (1978). I love the sound of this Belfast band. Pop-punk, but does it sound like any other group you can think of? I can’t think of any. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWADHZBb48A.
B.????The beat goes on.
“Lust for Life”; Iggy Pop (1977). The Pop/Bowie composition about a heroin dealer that is used to sell everything under the sun. Aka the bop-bop-bop, bop-bop-ba-bop-bop song. The story of that rhythm is interesting. The drummer is Hunt Sales, Soupy Sales’ son (and other son Tony on bass), who claims it was inspired by the Curious George theme, and you can find tales of other inspirations, including the code at the beginning of Armed Forces Network TV shows and “You Can’t Hurry Love” by the Supremes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQvUBf5l7Vw.
C.???The song lyric that you either love or hate.
领英推荐
“I Am … I Said”; Neil Diamond (1971). ‘I am ... I said, To no one there. And no one heard at all, Not even the chair.’ I, like many, feel I get it and it is profound, others think it is pretentious, or even stupid. Where do you stand? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhEaHcQgyLs.
D.???Should Have Been A Record
“Baby, I Love Your Way”; Lisa Bonet (playing Marie de Salle) (2000). Super, sultry, movie rendition of the Peter Frampton hit. There is a remark at the beginning of the scene that can be abbreviated PFF. About twenty years ago there was a stencil artist in Philly and its suburbs who painted a Warhol-esque image of Peter Frampton with PFF under it on sidewalks and electrical boxes all over the place that have since been painted over or completely faded. See https://www.roadsidehistoricalmarkers.com/property-listings/item/10552-PFF_(Peter_F*g_Frampton)_Stencil_Art_(Graffiti)_Was_Here/address=pff. There are vague references on the web about it being the work of a Temple U. art student from Lansdale, PA, which also explain that it was indeed inspired by the remark in the film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GHMl9_7WAI.
E.?????Will I ever get used to “growl,” aka “Cookie Monster vocals” by detractors, in modern day metal? Maybe not, but this favorite of my teenaged son is pretty catchy.
“Vice Grip”; Parkway Drive (2015). The heavy metal growl is taken down a notch on this one, making for a fairly melodic song with great guitar playing from this Australian metal/metalcore band. (If I get these terms a little wrong, I’m sure to hear about it from metal elitists.) Lyrics are perfect for these times: ‘Keep the flame alive! Hope for the hopeless. A light in the darkness. Hope for the hopeless. You’ve got one life, one shot. Give it all you got.’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ItHNdrPEh0.
F.??????What are your songs for surviving in this viral age?
Technical Editor | Freelance Author | Ghostwriter | Training & Development | Tech Innovation | Keynote Speaker | Insurtech
4 年Iggy: I never took him seriously until I saw a documentary on his life and music. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1714917/ He's still better heard and not seen! Neil Diamond: Like most kids of my generation, I inhaled his early pop hits like "Cherry Cherry" and "You Got to Me." A Brill building songwriter, he also wrote some terrific tunes for the Monkees like "I'm a Believer." Diamond successfully navigated from pure pop to more thoughtful stuff like "I Am I Said" and "Shilo" and "Holly Holy" while still retaining an ear for a hook. I confess, I wrote him off for a couple of decades for his indulgent period (Johnathan Livingston Seagull) where he thought he was more poet than pop genius. His 2008 album "Home Before Dark" is a gem. Lisa Bonet: Agreed, should have been a record! I watched her lightweight sitcom in the 80s. Her look-alike daughter Zo? Isabella Kravitz recently starred in Big Little Lies on HBO. Did anyone ever suspect that you're the guy behind the PFF graffiti? ;P Vice Grip: Such a great tune and guitar playing; swap out the growler for a singer and that's a hit. Really enjoying this series! Got enough material to last through September?